Hasta La Gadget!

Pokémon X & Y have lots of hard to find monsters, from highly conditional evolutions to the legendaries that you can only catch after finishing the game’s story. But the most coveted type of Pokémon, the rarest of the rare, are the shiny Pokémon – alternate colors of the game’s creatures. Allegedly you only have a 1-in-8,192 chance of encountering one in battle. That’s why Redditor dekuNukem hacked his 3DS to do the dirty work for him.

dekuNukem’s hack was made for battles started via fishing; I don’t know if it can be modified for the more conventional grass-hunting method. In simple terms, the hacked 3DS automatically casts the fishing rod and enters into battle on its own. If the encountered Pokémon is ordinary, the hack automatically runs away from the battle and repeats the process. But if it hits pay dirt, it emits a buzz to alert dekuNukem. You can read a full explanation in his video, or you can skip to 1:08 to see it in action:

If you think you can build your own Shiny-farming 3DS, download dekuNukem’s code here. Here’s another code you should get: my friend code is 1048-8685-2995. Remember me when you catch those shinies!

[via Joystiq]

Microsoft has one heck of an item for zealous Xbox fans and videogame collectors. The company has donated a very special edition of the Xbox One to UK charity GamesAid. The special next generation console, which is called the Xbox One White Exclusive Launch Team Commemorative Special Edition, is now up for grabs on eBay. Hopefully you don’t have to say its full name for voice commands.

As its name implies, the console is supposed to be given only to Microsoft employees who worked on the Xbox One. It even has the phrase “I Made This” right in front. A couple of months ago Redditor Kinect10DLL revealed all of the perks that come with the special console. This particular auction is only for the console, a matching white controller, a Kinect (which for some reason is still in black), a headset and two exclusive achievements.

You can bid for this special Xbox One on eBay. As of this writing bidding for the console is at an astronomical £17,100(~$27508 USD), and there’s still a couple of days before the auction ends. Sadly it seems that the auction is being bombed with false bids – at one point the auction showed a bid of over $200,000. And gamers wonder why we’re perceived as immature.

GamesAid said it has asked eBay for help with the false bids. If you’re planning on bidding, you should contact GamesAid first to confirm that you’re serious about buying the console. Maybe they can tell you what the actual minimum bid is as well.

[via Destructoid]

The wonderful folks at The Art of the Title specialize in putting together compilation videos of, you guessed it, title sequences. They can be from movies, from specific directors, from film franchises and so on. In this one, they’re tackling the title design of video games. You can see just how much video game graphics have improved since we all first started playing. To look at Donkey Kong and then see some of the stuff today is just incredible.

Read more…

Technology Will Save Us is the maker’s version of Toys R’ Us. The shop makes toys or gadgets that require assembly, perfect for people who are into tinkering and assembling electronics. Their newest kit is a great way to entice gamers to make their own video game systems. Simply called the DIY Gamer Kit, it has everything you need to make your own handheld game console.

The DIY Gamer Kit has over 40 separate parts that you need to solder to its custom circuit board, including its 8×8 LED screen. Once assembled, you’ll then attach that board and the remaining parts to the included Arduino Uno. Connect the finished system to a 9v battery and you’re ready to play its two built-in games, Breakout and Snake.

If you get tired of playing the built-in games, why not make your own? Learn Arduino and code your own game or animation to play on the system.

Your own game on your own handheld? Take that Ben Heck! You can pre-order the DIY Gamer Kit from Technology Will Save Us for £60 (~$96 USD).

[via Polygon]

Video games have been made to cover just about every genre you can think of. A new video game has surfaced on Kickstarter that covers one unusual genre that I’ve never thought about. This MMORPG has nothing to do with exploring dungeons or killing fellow players –  Ever, Jane promises to bring players into the virtual world of Jane Austen.

The game focuses on gossiping and eventually attending balls. Ever, Jane puts players into the Regency Period in England. Players will try to win the sympathy of Lizzie Bennet by telling lies about rivals. The game has a system that will notify other players if they’re being talked about and allow them to attempt to find the person spreading lies. If you’re discovered there will be consequences.

The prototype of the game allows players to explore a 3D village. While there are plans for significant expansion, currently there are no balls, dinner parties, or mini games and players can’t travel between villages.

The Ever, Jane Kickstarter project is an attempt to raise the funds needed to add that expanded capability. A pledge of $10 or more will get backers access to the game world during development. The developers are hoping to raise $100,000 and have raised a bit more than $23,000 with 27 days to go.

You can download the working prototype of the game here.